Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster has secured the mobilisation of a £4.4m project to crackdown on her priority of Anti-Social Behaviour over the next two years.
Derbyshire has been selected as one of 10 pilot forces to deliver the Home Office’s ‘Immediate Justice’ programme – securing a £4.4m windfall to roll out a new hard-line approach against Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB).
Preparations are already underway to design and implement a bespoke local scheme in Derbyshire, which is expected to be fully up and running this summer.
Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster said: “Persistent issues of ASB cause anxiety and make people feel unsafe. Across Derbyshire and Derby City, people are fed up and want these problems to be treated more seriously. This is why I made tackling ASB a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan.
“We will not only step-up police enforcement activities in Derbyshire, but also involve the public even further in finding long term resolutions.
“I have made it very clear that reducing ASB also requires communities and partners to work together, and we are already doing this very well across the county. Our hard work has paid off locally and since 2021, reported ASB incidents have fallen to 23,220 in 2022 (compared to 37,405 in the year ending March 2019).
“The Government’s Action Plan pushes ASB into sharp focus nationally. We must be relentless and continue our work in Derbyshire to make sure we show a zero tolerance to ASB and we continue to support our residents when they need us.
“Anti-Social Behaviour is an intrusive crime that is frequently placed at the top of the public’s safety priorities. This is why I have ensured robust action is being taken to protect our communities from ASB. This programme will deliver the strong and visible punishment the public want to see.”
As part of the project, Derbyshire has secured £1.2m for each of the next two years which will be invested in ASB hotspot policing to strengthen enforcement work undertaken by the force.
In addition, an extra £1m for each of the next two years will be used to design a local reparative justice scheme to ensure ASB perpetrators undertake practical, reparative activity to compensate for the loss or damage sustained by victims.
Reparative activities could include litter-picking in public parks and high streets, cleaning of civic memorials, cleaning of graffiti and basic repairs of damaged property.
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